Waiting for Coach Popov to 'work his magic' in Pleiku

Coach Popov needs to help The Cong Viettel beat HAGL - Photo: TCVT .

After The Cong Viettel’s 6-0 victory over Da Nang , the real challenge awaits Popov in the next round. The Cong Viettel must visit HAGL’s “holy land” Pleiku. Coach Popov’s task is to help the army team bring home 3 points.

HAGL this season may not have many stars, but they are a young, passionate team and are especially “uncomfortable” when playing at home. Pleiku Stadium is a place where many big teams have to “breathe oxygen”.

Nam Dinh , the leading candidate for the championship, was held to a 0-0 draw here. The Bulgarian coach himself, when leading Thanh Hoa Club, could not bring home 3 points when traveling to the mountain town. Meanwhile, CAHN, with the second-deepest squad in V.League, was also surprisingly defeated 0-1.

Therefore, Pleiku Stadium is not only a difficult destination in terms of expertise but also a psychological problem for Popov - who is used to "famous" matches but has not really had long-term success in the V.League.

The Cong Viettel Club will be a guest against HAGL in round 22 - Photo: TCVT.

Looking back at Popov's journey in Vietnam, no one can deny the Bulgarian strategist's tactical ability and ability to read the game. He and Thanh Hoa Club brought home two National Cup and Super Cup titles. This is something the Thanh team had never done before. Those achievements were built on solid playing style, good physical strength and sharp calculations in knockout matches.

However, in the V.League, a tournament that requires stability and depth of force, coach Popov has not really had luck. Thanh Hoa played very well in the first leg of previous seasons, but often ran out of steam in the second leg. Specifically, in the 2022/23 season, they won 6/12 first leg matches, but only won 2 out of the remaining 10 matches. The same situation also happened in the 2023/24 season.

With Viettel The Cong Club - a team with more ambition and a more stable force than Thanh Hoa Club, Coach Popov is expected not to repeat the old mistakes. He has enough time and professional autonomy to build the team in his own style.

The army team owns a squad of quality players, from pillars such as Tien Anh, Duc Chien, Huu Thang to foreign players Pedro Henrique, Amarildo. Under the hands of coach Popov, Huu Thang - the "precious gem" of Vietnamese football, which had been obscure for many seasons, has now "revived" with a beautiful double against Da Nang Club. This is not the first time he has "breathed life" into seemingly ordinary players. At the Thanh team, the coach from Bulgaria helped Thai Son, Doan Ngoc Tan, Hoang Thai Binh play explosively, significantly improving their physical strength and tactical thinking.

The players of Viettel The Cong have a strong physical foundation and are full of desire. But after the 2020 championship, they often "befriend" the relegation race. Now, with a passionate and individualistic coach like Coach Popov, the army team is expected to "change its skin" and regain its inherent identity. Coach Popov possesses good enough resources to mold a team with rich identity and efficiency. The only problem is time and the ability to maintain stability in the remaining 5 rounds.

If he can overcome HAGL - a difficult challenge, Coach Popov will really make his first clear mark with his new team. At that time, the dream of bringing The Cong Viettel Club back to become a rival in V.League is no longer far away.

Source: https://znews.vn/cho-hlv-popov-lam-phep-o-pleiku-post1551824.html